The Ekiti State Government has called on the chairmen of Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas in the state to embark on community-driven projects and programs that will have socio-economic positive impacts on the grassroots.
The Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Chief Folorunsho Olabode, emphasized that it was necessary for the chairmen to make communities and their people the focus of the councils’ activities as they are the government closest to the people.
Olabode spoke in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, at the workshop organized for the heads of Local Government and LCDAs for the review of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2023 – 2025 for Local governments in the state.
The Commissioner, recognizing local government as vital instruments for rural transformation and service delivery to the people, urged the council chairmen to dedicate their efforts to serving the people of Ekiti.
He advised the council leaders to focus on key developmental policies and programs that will complement the purposeful and tireless efforts of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in making Ekiti the epicenter of socio-economic growth and development.
Olabode stressed the importance of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for the planning and management of public funds. He urged the chairmen to ensure that the councils’ MTEF aligns with the six pillars of Governor Oyebanji’s developmental agenda.
“It is imperative to regularly review MTEF 2023-2025 documents as budgets should be prepared in line with the policy thrust of the government, as outlined in the MTEF documents. Given this reality, it is crucial to align the contents of the LG MTEF with the Six Pillars of Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration, which are directed toward grassroots development.
“Local Governments, being the closest to the people, cannot afford to miss out on this kind of development strategy. It is incumbent on the council chairmen to initiate people-oriented and community-driven projects and programs that will have enduring effects on the lives of the people,” he added.
The Commissioner for Budget, Economic Planning, and Performance, Niyi Adebayo, stated that Governor Oyebanji’s administration has never denied the council chairmen access to the monthly allocation of the local government in the state.
He added, “The administration’s policy not to tamper with the local government funds from the federation account has enabled them to execute major projects and implement life-changing policies and programs.
“In the history of Ekiti, this is perhaps the first governor who allows funds to pass through Local Government Areas. He has been magnanimous and ensured that all allocations from the federation account go to the LGAs untouched.”
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